This turned into a cool do it yourself project.  Some research on the internet and looking at a few trucks and SUVs at local truck shows helped in developing a plan of attack.  Once doing a snorkel was decided, the next decision was to determine if it was reasonable to just buy one from a manufacturer or building one from scratch.  Cory looked into prices from a few different companies and they wanted approximately $300.  It was quickly decided to make this from scratch.  Instead of paying $300, this project came out to approximately $75 including the cost of an Airforce 1 air filter for an F-150 ($50).

It was decided the easiest route for the snorkel would be passing thru the passenger side fender, because there was less engine parts in the way.  The snorkel then would make a turn coming out of the fender and go back towards the passenger side door.  Finally it would make an up wards turn to follow along the frame of the windshield.  The plan was to make the top of the air filter about even with roof of the Bronco.

After some research, the most common material used for a snorkel was PVC pipe.  Next was deciding on the diameter.  Again after some research, the most common was 3 inch diameter.  There were some complaints that 4 inch diameter let into much air into the carburetor.

The tricky part would be getting rid of the old air filter, and connecting the carburetor to the snorkel.  The new air filter would be placed at the top of the snorkel.

After removing the old air intake and breather, different parts would be required.  This required an air intake hose long enough to reach from the fender to the air breather.  This required a trip to the junkyard to find what parts were available.  In less than 30 minutes, an air intake hose from a Ford Aerostar van and an air breather from a Ford Escort were discovered to meet the necessary requirements. 

One end of the air intake hose was connected to the PVC passing thru the fender.

The other end of the air intake hose connected to the carburetor.

So, how do you design a snorkel?

First, the spot where the snorkel would pass thru the fender had to be determined.  This was decided by the area on the inside of the fender that required the least amount of stuff to disconnect and reroute for the engine. In this case, the only thing that had to be moved was the solenoid.  It was unbolted from inside the fender and moved forward a few inches towards the battery. The solenoid was then bolted back to the fender.

At this point, the hole passing thru the fender was made.  Holding a piece of PVC against the fender, a black marker was used outlining the edge of the tube marking the location.  A hole was drilled in the fender, making a starting place for the jigsaw.

Pre-drilling hole.

Cutting hole with jigsaw.

Hole finished.

Next, measuring from the location where the snorkel would enter the fender, back to where it would turn up was 22 inches. Then it was measured up along the windshield frame to approximately 20 inches where the tube would stop.  Now it was time to cut the desired lengths.  The tool for the job was a cutoff wheel that cut thru the PVC in a matter of seconds.

Cutoff wheel cutting thru PVC.

Now, it was time to put the pieces of the snorkel together.  To make the bend for the snorkel, passing thru the fender towards the passenger side door, a 90-degree angle of PVC was used.  A 22-degree angle was then used to make the bend towards the roof of the Bronco.  PVC cement was used between each connection to make a nice tight fit and keep out moisture. The cement only took 15 minutes to dry and once dried was impossible to adjust.

The snorkel cemented together.

So, how do you connect a snorkel to the body?

This was simple.  Two bolts along the length of the fender were needed to hold the snorkel in place.  First, the snorkel was held in place and two spots were marked with a black marker.

A hole was drilled at each spot.

Next, Jack Nuts (zerts) were installed in each hole. Two metal bands were wrapped around the snorkel. Then a bolt was inserted in each band and screwed into a Jack Nut.

Jack Nuts installed.

Snorkel attached.

So, how do you connect the snorkel to the air intake hose?

The PVC tube that passed thru the fender was connected to the air intake hose using a piece of PVC.  PVC cement was brushed on one end of the PVC and slid into the snorkel passing thru the fender. The other end was connected with the air intake hose by sliding the hose over the end of the PVC and tightening it with a metal band used for hoses.

So, how do you pick out and connect an air filter?

Just about all of the snorkels that were looked at before the project began had an air filter that allows more air to enter into the intake. Besides allowing more air into the intake tube of the snorkel, they also can be used over and over. If they are maintained properly (they come with easy instructions) they are supposed to last as long as the vehicle. These were generally K& N air filters that can be found at local parts stores, but other brands do exist and many can be found on the internet at different auto websites.  There are all pretty much the same, they will cost you roughly $50.

The snorkel needed a cone shape filter so the top would be closed and nothing could fall inside the snorkel.  Also the snorkel had to have an opening on the bottom with a diameter slightly larger than 3 inches to fit over the top of the snorkel. It just happened, there was an Airforce 1 air filter for a 98 F-150 that was handy and needed a good home. The filter was placed on top of the snorkel using the clamp that came with the filter, and it was done. 

This project took about 5 hours.  This included driving to and walking around the junkyard, going to Home Depot, and AutoZone.